Professional athletes can successfully transition to entrepreneurship by leveraging their expertise and passion, as demonstrated by former cricketer Shreevats Goswami, who started a cricket bat manufacturing business called AG Invincible after his playing career, using his deep understanding of bat selection and craftsmanship to create products for cricket enthusiasts.
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SPECIAL GUEST: Shreevats Goswami | Life After Cricket | India's Youth Hero's | Making The Best BatAdded:
Good day guys. Welcome back to Beyond 23. Michael Clark here with you and today we have Shrevat Goshwami on the program with us. Uh was a fantastic player in his own right. Left-handed batsman, wicket keeper, played a number of years in the IPL and for a number of different teams. But what I want to talk to Shri about today is that transition period. What he's doing now outside of cricket now that he's not playing professionally anymore. Um he's still playing in some Legends leagues, but I think um yeah, lots of good exciting things that he's been doing post his cricket career.
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>> Shri buddy, thank you for your time.
Thank you. I've been lucky enough to spend some time with you commentating.
you reminded me when we did commentate together that I actually I was working on a game when you were still playing in the IPL. So, uh seen you play a long time ago and now get the chance to spend time with you, which is fantastic.
>> There's a lot I want to talk to you about. You had a wonderful career.
You're a brilliant player. I still think you should still be playing in the IPL, 36 years young. You're still young enough. But what I want to start with, >> I think one of the things on Beyond 23 that I probably don't speak enough to past players or past athletes about >> Yeah.
>> is post their cricket career. So that transition period between when you go from, you know, playing all the time, you're a professional athlete, and then you leave the game.
>> Yeah.
>> How tough was that for you and how have you managed to fill that gap with a number of different things?
>> Yeah. Firstly, I remember the first time I met you uh at the Bengal Pro League and I I used to keep seeing that clipping of me hitting Andrew Slova cover and before that I got hit in the helmet and you were commentating you like he's just been hit on the helmet and I was like all right what's he going to say now when I hit it over oh he smoked it open in the face of the man like all right Michael Clark like loves that shot and then I did the postmatch interview as well with you so that was amazing. Then you call me for podcast like me >> always.
>> We like good people on beyond 23.
>> Yeah. No, thank you. Thank you so much.
This is this is one of my biggest podcast ever.
>> A you're welcome. We love having you >> post cricket. So it's tough >> to be honest. I'm not an India player.
Um so in India if you if you're not a cap player, >> you're being seen differently than the other players no matter how much domestic cricket you play.
>> Y >> So I wasn't actually enjoying the game.
um sitting out in the IPL like get stuff traveling.
>> You played for four different IPL teams.
>> I played for RCB then one year for KKR then traded to RR and then >> and then I had a four five four years gap and that's when I was like [ __ ] like what am I going to do because there's not much money in domestic cricket. Then I thought of leaving the game and that's when I started reading books and stuff and that's when I actually picked up training which helped me because in India the culture of training came in very late.
>> When you say training you're talking fitness >> fitness proper proper lifting weights and stuff.
>> Okay. So um that was a 20 uh 819 RCB 11 KKR 12 13 RR then 14 15 16 17 uh no IPL at all and that's when I was like [ __ ] what I'm going to do with my my career now like no money if you don't play the IPL there's not much money involved domestic cricket >> and I was I missed the bus playing for India because you need >> tough era though MS Dhoni and then even Saha who I thought was an unbelievable wiki keeper Yeah, >> if not there he plays 100 tests like keeping wise >> he's he was fantastic I thought >> and funnily enough I was always in the same team as Saha >> domestic same team sunrise had about four years same team we played challenges trophy same team I was like a this guy's not leaving my back >> lucky you're not working with him now >> yeah and I was like is he coming to commentary as So and then I got to training proper proper training lifting weights reading books and uh then I gave up the expectation of playing the game at the high highest level and that's when you say like good things happen when you least expect then so then I got back into the IPL again and then [ __ ] end my last last year in in the sunrises hyderabad I enjoyed my time in SRH a lot I grew as a person as well but the last year you know when you're not playing >> you don't get to face the main bowlers because you don't get to face Bhuvi or Rashid Khan. You're just keeping and fielding and not much of batting and then you all of a sudden end up playing a game. you're not prepared as you're like oh no like so and then I knew and then when when I went went back to domestic cricket they dropped me from their side >> uh from T20 side Bengal and I was I was still doing well for Bengal really well >> and then I was like >> is this the end of the road for me like I'm not play I'm definitely not going to get picked in the IPL because I get dropped from my domestic side and then what what do I do and then >> I played one season away uh from home as a pro for a different team I call Miserum and didn't enjoy like no I'm not enjoying this so I was always somebody if I didn't enjoy anything >> you're done >> I leave it there and also I didn't have any plans like what do I do like >> yeah so the back end of your career >> you weren't your brain wasn't thinking well I'm going to once cricket finishes I've got something to go into you were still unsure >> no idea what I'm going to do and so I said I'll just be home, don't worry about getting up early, going to training and just relax cuz I wasn't enjoying the game at all. And that's when one of my friend called me who works at Jio. He said, "Are you open for commentary?" And then also Legends leagues were going on. So I said, "I'll retire, play a bit of see how it goes.
>> Make make some money playing those as well.
>> Make some money, see how it goes." Uh so I got into the first season of Legends.
I did well there actually.
>> And then one of my friend called me. He said, "Are you open for commentary?" I said, "Of course, why not?" Then he said, "But you got to do it in Bangla."
So I do regional commentary for the IPL, but I can speak all three languages. So I said, "Dude, Bangla, I'm not too sure cuz I'm not a a proper Bengali. It's not my mother tongue." He said, "You said this to me, don't say it to anybody else."
>> Yeah. Okay.
>> Yeah. He said, "You know the game, the six months to the IPL, listen to Bangla.
watch a lot of games in in Bengali, listen to the songs and all right okay so then I sort of prepared myself and um then I went to the commentary I was so bad >> really >> in Bangala I was so bad the first week and I'm like oh my god this is not going to work out for me like it's not my language I know the game but I don't know how to say it like I couldn't string a sentence together >> after one week the best thing happened was uh uh I had flu So I'm like all right I'm going to go out and away from here. I went back home and then I I'm like what's going on? Let me just put on the Bengali commentary and listen what the guy is saying.
>> So I couldn't join the sentences in Bangla. It's like how do you say and >> in like how you say and in English join sentences. I couldn't say that. I'm like >> what is this word and what is this word?
So I wrote it down everything and took a few help from friends. Uh how do you say confidence in Bangla? how do you say in uh intensity in Bangla and all those things and then all right now I was sort of prepared and after a week um they gave me a 10 days gap and went back and I was like boom boom boom and they're like what happened to you >> oh my god >> yeah what happened to you I'm like no I I I learned research I did a bit of research I studied how good >> yeah and then yeah and then I started doing well got into Hindi and then in English also for BCCI and then that's when I started getting leagues and stuff so Yeah. And then for me uh everything happened in my life and I don't plan it and I always say everybody do not plan your life because whenever you plan you start expecting a lot of things.
>> It's true >> and then it doesn't come >> expectations our biggest killer.
>> Yeah. Absolutely.
>> Yeah. and now so then so I guess the fortunate thing because again >> I think everybody would love to have a a long-term international um career and play 100 test matches and one days and T20s for their country and but that's not the reality you know very little like I know I'm I'm the 389th >> Australian player so let's say we might have 400 I don't know exactly the numbers now there might be 430 players to play for Australia 450 I don't know but it's very small that pool of people is very small and India again same thing with how many people in this country >> not many get the opportunity to play >> so the positive and and I guess the thing that um you know when I love hearing about your journey is that you've still been able to stay involved in cricket so you've got the commentary work now you're still playing some legends leagues which is awesome because like I said you should be playing tell me how you jump into something like making your Yeah. I mean, you know, when my wife told me once once I retired, uh, she told me, "You think you should be relevant now?"
>> And it hit me hard.
>> Yeah. So, it hit me hard and I was like, "How long I'm going to do commentary if if after 3 years they say we don't need you, what you going to do?" So, I said, "Let's just start a business or something." So, this is a I started this AG Invincible. This is uh my daughter's initial.
>> Oh, amazing. So my daughter's name is Astriti and Astriti means invincible.
>> Oh, brilliant.
>> So that's when I came >> give all of our >> viewers a look.
>> Yeah. So that's when I came up with the idea.
>> So you're making you're just making bats >> for now. Just bats.
>> Just bats.
>> Just bats.
>> They're made in India.
>> In India. Yeah.
>> And you and you can buy the Can you buy these online?
>> Not online.
>> Okay. How does how does somebody if somebody's watching this and they want to buy one of your bats, how do they do that? Um, so I have an Instagram page, AG Invincible. You can message me there.
Uh, you can take down my number from there and then order through me because people don't I want people to believe and trust that I'm making them.
>> Yeah, that's what I was going to say. Is it Are you Are you in there watching the bats being made when explain that? I I think >> I think I I remember playing how fussy I was with my bat. So my bat manufacturer and I only had two in my career. I had Slesinger and Spartan. Correct.
>> They would send me at certain stages 10, 20, 30 different bats and I would pick, you know, whether it was 6, seven, eight of those bats out. I was so fussy. I was fussy with thickness of handle. I was fussy with shape of the bat. I was fussy of color of wood. I was fussy of how thin the grain like I was ultra fussy.
So fussy. How do you How do you go about making one of your bats? How does it actually work?
>> Wow, that's interesting. you know, because so what weight >> I was somewhere between 28 and 210 generally the lighter, but it was more I didn't care about what it weighed on scales. I care about how it felt, how it picked up. So I could have a bat that was 29 and a half, but it felt lighter than a bat that weighed 28. So I was a big feeler. I was all about >> like I would never use a brand new bat in the game. I'd use in the net, hit it, knock it in, it make sure I feel comfortable, then I would take it in the game.
>> I was the complete opposite. I used to love taking a brand new bat and straight away playing with it because then that's when I felt like, oh, I would be technically so correct. I don't want to edge. I don't want an edge on my bat.
So, I be very like correct and stuff.
So, yeah. So, funny when I used to play, I was not fussy at all with the bat. As long as it was 1140 to 1150 g is what we say. So light bat as an opener shot.
>> What is that? 2 lb how many? Eight. 27.
>> Yeah. 2.5 or something. Yeah. Really light bat cuz a short guy timer of the ball. So I would like something uh like you said feel of the bat. It has to be light. So now when I leave the game now I get to understand there are different shapes of the bat. There is round handle and there's square handle and there's oval handle and stuff like that. And then people go like how many grains are there? Is it close to each other? And then you know it's the grain doesn't define the bat, right? Yes, of course.
Yeah, it's the it's >> correct me if I'm wrong. The the cleft the piece of wood when it starts out >> the certainly the color. So when you see wood that is um all white like this or you see wood that is two-toned >> that is just the part of the tree.
>> Yes.
>> Is that correct?
>> Yeah. That is just the nature of the tree. I mean normally people prefer double wood, right? a bit of brown and a bit of a white, but the white bats are longlasting.
>> They last longer.
>> And one other thing I think I remember I was told when I was younger as well. So the knot, >> you can see a knot in in the grain here is the hardest part of the wood.
>> Yes.
>> Where the knot is.
>> Yeah. That is also the that is also the nature of the wood. And a lot of people think knots are not good, but they are actually good. They bind they bind the the wood together >> and uh it's actually good. It makes the bat last for a bit more longer. knots are fine but then you get a like a big round thing like a big round knot that's that's called a mark of the wood that's that's not the ideal thing but this the knots are not so not so fine and then when the grains are slightly wide apart as well the wood lasts longer because I I I've experienced in my cricketing journey the lesser the more the grains and the thinner it is >> the more it breaks it easier breaks easy I mean >> oh it must be a softer part of the wood or something surely you think >> yes it must be making is making a bat is it um like are you making these the shape uh that you have always like is that how you design your your style of bat or can it be designed like if somebody goes on Instagram and says I want to get a bat can they pick their shape how does it work >> yeah that's good question because my shape I didn't know what my shape was >> yeah okay >> most of them in India they prefer the weight in the lower half of the bat less bounds >> because of conditions over here >> less bounds but if go like for example Sachin Tandulkar is what I've heard when he used to go to SA countries >> South Africa, England, Australia. So he would prefer the weight of the bulge behind slightly higher the back foot.
Yeah, back foot cover drives and stuff like that. But in India obviously you play spin less bounce. So you need that bulge slightly at the bottom.
>> And then I started hearing that there's something called a duck build profile.
This Virat uses this profile and Rohit uses another profile. So I'm like I never thought of it because I was always I want the weight slightly low 1140 good feel of the bat done and dusted. But now when I get messages about people that uh you know I want this kind of profile I want the other profile and then I started making according to them. So I customize as well.
>> So it's it's doing well.
>> Do you enjoy it?
>> Uh I enjoy selling it.
part because I do it personally and then when they message and ask about a certain kind of weight and it's interesting >> like kids these days they know about the profile the bat handle I was like till 28 >> I didn't know what kind of profile suits me etc. It's fascinating. Yeah, >> it's amazing. I remember my my father coming to my house and I think it was Spartan must have sent 20 bats at that occasion. They just arrived and my my dad played he played first grade cricket. He didn't play first class in Australia. He was picking up the bats and he said, "These are identical. These are all exactly the same."
>> And I said, "Dad, they are all different."
>> So I went and got my cricket bag out and I think I might have had seven bats in my bag. He picked all my bats out and he said, "These are identical as well." I said, "I'm telling you now, I'll close my eyes and I'll feel the bat. On top of my bats, I would write a number." So, so I knew there was seven in my bag. It would be numbered 1, two, three, either on the top of the handle or on the shoulder of the bat.
>> So, I close my eyes, I go, that's number three. Open it. Number three, go. That's number one. I could feel I could feel the difference in my in my in my back.
>> That's crazy. I couldn't I couldn't do that. But yeah, if you if you give me my give my weight and somebody else's, I could tell the difference.
>> Yeah. But that's that's amazing.
>> Yeah. And now these days, I'd imagine you'd have to be so disciplined because they've got that new rule now. Like even when guys are walking out onto the field, you see it in the IPL where we are now, they check the width of the bats.
>> What is it? 44.
>> I'm not sure the exact number. You should know. You're the bat maker.
>> 44 in the middle. But then people, they want big buds. And I like what are you going to do if you start playing with that? You can't use it anyway.
>> Yeah. If you become a good cricketer, you can't you won't be able to use it later. They said, "No, no, it's fine.
>> Come on."
>> Yeah, it's true. It's Well, especially now, they're going to monitor it.
There's no there's nothing you can do.
>> Rajasthan Royals.
>> Yeah.
>> I don't think anybody's expected them to play the way they've played.
>> They got good bowling attack, two really good quicks, two really good spinners, >> and then the power of their youngsters like Jay Swall's phenomenal. This other kid, my god. I mean for JW to go >> he's showing at 200.
>> Yeah. For JW to go under the radar because of I mean speaks volume about his talent. At 15 I remember our coaches used to tell us to leave the ball.
>> Yeah.
>> Leave the ball.
>> Duck the bouncer. Let it go. Let it go.
>> And this guy is like he's phenomenal.
>> He is phenomenal.
>> And he's so even the other I was commentating the other night when he got out first ball >> pull shot straight up and everyone in the commentary box was like no. like we'll devastate it. He's it's he's pure entertainment.
>> Yeah.
>> But there's no reason if he's 15.
>> Look, I know he's the wickets are flat.
There's no movement. Going to play in a test match, the ball can swing it is very different. But >> he's 15 years of age. His game he's technically if it improves that much >> you know the other thing he might necessarily have to open the batting in test cricket.
>> He has to. Yeah. But you think if he starts focusing on his uh let's say technique and test cricket will lose 6020 game.
>> I don't think he loses it but I think >> I think you go through stages in your career if you have a few failures you look at why you failed and generally it's shot selection. So then you might, let's say if somebody gets out playing the pull shot early in their innings all the time, they say as they get a bit older and more mature, they say, "Okay, I'm just going to put the pool shot away for my first 20 runs. Now I'm on 20. Now I'm going to take it on." So your game sort of modifies >> a little bit. Um I think his game will need to I think modify is the right word just just for test cricket because conditions are so different particularly if he's going to open the batting if it's going to seam and swing if he plays in Australia plays in England plays in South Africa >> I think intent you know David Warner has shown Matthew Hayden shown these guys >> real good intent and power players but >> this kid is >> I don't think cricket is going to leave the ball there's no way he's going and doing this. I mean >> maybe maybe like at the moment what he's doing is working. So like you know this other thing I was discussing off air with one of my friends you know when let's say for example you uh for in another industry a singer when he comes at 15 his vocal cords are not mature right at 15 the way he sings and at 20 the way he is completely different he might lose lose his vocal cord and be completely different not sound good at all so do you reckon with the cricketer as well because he's 15 uh I've seen a lot of players at 30 34 starts to fend the short ball because they lose their eyesight already because he's 15. His eyes is so good and that is why he goes for every shot and he connects you know as as he grows older his eyesight start >> experience also brings in it can bring in fear you know it's like if you go if you've played if I've played against Dale Stain 10 times and I go face him on the 11th occasion I know what I'm in for I know how good a bowler he is I've seen how fast he can bowl I've seen he swings the ball I know what I'm coming up against if I faced Al Stain when I made my deboo at 21.
>> I don't know who Dal Stone is. I'm just facing the ball. So, I'm fearless.
>> At the moment, this young kid is fearless. So, what opposition teams will do now, they'll have to study him.
They'll have to work out strengths, weaknesses. They might say, "We're going to go short." You know, they might say, "We're going to go wide line outside off. We might boulder him like it's the last two overs of a game."
>> 2015 World Cup, we did that to Brennan McCullum.
>> Correct.
>> He walked out and opened the batting and our plan was we're bowling like it's the last over of the one day. Yorkers good bouncer use the wide line.
>> Wow.
>> That was our plan. So that's what happens with you know good players create awareness so opposition teams now have to focus on them.
>> And also character you talk about test cricket. I remember watching that Cape Town test Australia versus South Africa.
Broken shoulder Monty Merkel >> bouncer bouncer bounce and I'm like how is he going to survive now? And then he got what 159 or something. That was the best ever test innings I've seen in that condition.
>> Philander, Marco, Dale Stain, Kellis.
Wow.
>> Yeah, I'm happy it's over.
>> And luck luck luck goes your way.
>> Where do you see Indian cricket? Where do you see um I guess all three formats?
Test cricket, one day cricket, T20 cricket. Do you think Indian cricket's in a good place? And do you think our game is in a good place?
>> Well, test cricket I don't think so.
after Virat and Rohit has retired especially >> uh playing in home conditions some of the batters are struggling playing spin surprisingly because you know they started practicing for Australia England so much I remember 2014 when India went to England >> and Rahul Drair was the only one who scored three centuries and nobody did well against the moving ball and that's where Sorro Ganguli came back and he said in domestic cricket now he once all the pitches to have a certain amount of grass >> so the batters gets used to playing conditions over >> big conditions and that's when the likes of Virat Pujara Rahane came in they started doing well in domestic cricket against the fast fast bowlers and then India lost spinners >> yeah okay >> and now the batters are used to playing fast bowlers and now there's a time where they're struggling playing against spinners because they not played enough in domestic cricket >> so now these T20 wickets IPL wickets don't spin at all IPL wicket spin a tiny bit >> so test cricket cricket I think India might struggle for first two three years T20 cricket you can >> you can send two teams in the world cup and play against each other and there'll be a good fight as well >> one day when Virat goes Rohit goes one day team is sorted I think Ayar will come Patidar will come >> a lot of talent white ball cricket will never be the problem for India >> so short form India's in a great place you think test cricket well you've got some tough tours as well this I think you go to New Zealand for a test series as well >> um that'll be tough tough conditions over there. Seeing India lose test cricket in their own backyard is very new to me. Very winning over here in test cricket >> was well I we did it once in my career and we hadn't won 30 years before that.
2004 we won. So it's just >> it's a hard it's a hard place to win. It should be a hard place to win and I hope Indian test team can get back to >> to that form because I think we come I think Australia comes here in January >> the trophy that will be the biggest >> five test matches that's going to be an absolute beauty of >> Jan to March. Yeah, that'll be a big one.
>> You got off Nathan L will still be playing.
>> I think Nathan L will still be playing.
Yep. I think there's Todd Murphy as well. Right arm offin Cudman left arm orthodox.
>> So you think all three will be there?
>> I think they'll bring at least three. Uh I'd be assuming that they'll make spinning wickets here against the Aussies. So I think >> look I think um >> you need a very good left on spin.
Kunaman is the right one.
>> He's not bad. Yeah. Yeah. I think he's I think I think in these I think bowling in these conditions I think Murphy and Cudman as Nathan Lion's backup or second spinner or third spinner I think are fine. I think they'll do a great job. I think our process moving forward in Australia is to try and find a a genuine spinner that can get >> uh whether it's drift, >> I don't care what hand you bowl or what variation, get the ball to move in the air, drift, and then if it's not spin, it's got to be bounce. We've had Shane War, we've had Nathan Line. We need to find our next frontline genuine spinner that can get batters out in good batting conditions. Not necessarily on day three, four, five in India where as long as you land it anywhere here, it spins this far. Natural variation. They need to get they need to get batters out >> through the air or through skill or through bounce or through setting fields, not just natural variation off the pitch. So >> you think they're going to try Zampampa for test?
>> No.
>> No. No chance. No, I think >> good leggies coming.
>> Uh, >> not not ready yet. I wouldn't imagine. I think >> What about Cooper Connelly?
>> Left arm orthodox batter who bowls? I think I think he's more of a batsman who bowls. Hasn't he had a good start to the IPL as well? And again, Ricky taking that risk, batting him at number three.
>> Um, very talented player.
>> Very talented. Bat ball field, fit, athletic, >> really good. Yeah. Yeah, Cooper could be, you know, he could play that. He could if he gets picked in test cricket, it's going to be as an all rounder.
>> I think he could he could definitely be batting, you know, in the middle order and bowl some handy overs. I don't think he's a frontline spinner though and he's not your number one spin. He could be could be your backups, >> but he's a I think his batting will continue to get better as well.
>> Yeah. But somebody like you, you also bowl you had you have a head.
>> He's a much better bowl than me.
>> Yeah. Exactly. In India like if if there's a spinning like like a dust ball or something, you just got to land the ball. You don't have to be like a proper spinner.
>> Part time, especially day three, four, five, part time becomes very important.
>> Effective. Yes. Correct.
>> Yeah. Can pick up a couple of wickets.
Buddy, thank you so much for your time.
I really appreciate it. Good luck with your commentary.
>> You won't need it cuz you're very good.
Good luck with this. I'm so happy for you. I'm excited for you. Do yourself a favor. Get online. Go see Stra's uh Instagram.
>> Yeah, >> AG Invincible is the page or my Instagram. You can message me or you can just DM your orders.
>> Go and get your son, your daughter, your grandmother, your grandfather, anyone.
Get yourself a bat. Get yourself a bat.
Good luck, buddy. Good luck with it.
Hope it does well.
>> Absolute pleasure. Thanks, champion.
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